AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another short chapter. They're coming to me in bursts now, and they'll be posted at a faster rate. Once again, thanks for reading!
Also, side note -I've been reading the review comments and I've gathered a lot of good ideas! You're quite the creative bunch .. I had never even thought to include some Hinata X Fu ass-kickery. I'm not sure how this fanfic will end, but I definitely know where it is going.
"FUCK!" Sakura cursed as she missed Kakashi yet again. She had thrown another jab at him, this time from a different angle, and the copy-ninja had evaded it with ease.
"Sakura-Chan," Kakashi teased as he hung upside down from a tree branch. "Your language, please".
"I know, I just can't -GAH" Sakura sighed, exasperated. Her fists fell to her sides in defeat. Kakashi gave her a quizzical look and, with a flash, returned to an upright position on the ground.
"I'm done." Sakura said flatly, not meeting his gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her. Finally, she turned her gaze to him.
"Sorry. I mean, thank you Kakashi-Sensei .. for agreeing to train with me this evening. I needed to release some energy". Sakura bowed as she moved to turn away. Kakashi nodded his head, but still held his quizzical gaze.
"You seemed very distracted, Sakura". His comment was innocent, but it provoked an answer.
"Yes, I know". She replied, calming down a little. "I've just got a lot on my mind".
Kakashi remained silent, and when it appeared that Sakura didn't intend to say any more, he gave her a small wave of his hand. "Well, I hope everything works out for you". Another flash, and he was gone.
"It's not me I'm worried about" Sakura mumbled to herself. She turned on her heel to leave, but instead saw a girl with blue hair running towards her. Not walking apprehensively, but running.
"Hinata?" Sakura called out, alarmed. What was she doing here? She was pretty sure that Hinata would be sitting at home, upset over her cancellation with Naruto.
"Sakura!" came Hinata's voice. She sounded upset. No, that wasn't the right word. She sounded absolutely hysterical.
"Hinata!?" Sakura called again, this time the alarm sounding in her voice. As the Hyuuga drew nearer, she could see that she was crying.
Sakura ran towards the ninja and met her halfway across the training field.
"Sakura," Hinata coughed out her name between sobs. "I - I just saw Naruto - and he was .. was .."
"Hinata, it's okay, please" Sakura's voice was calm, though she could feel rage starting to boil up inside of her. "What did that ignorant baka do this time?"
She took a step closer and placed her hands on Hinata's shoulders to steady her. "What happened? What's wrong? What about Naruto?"
"He .. he is .. he" Hinata cried out and buried her face into Sakura's chest, clearly too upset to speak. Sakura threw her hands around the young Hyuuga and held her close as she began to shake.
"Hinata, it's okay". Sakura cooed, hoping that her voice would offer comfort but knowing it was futile. Hinata was such a frail girl when it came to romance and Sakura felt sorry for her. This whole mess was technically her fault, after all.
"Just calm down, please, and then we can talk". It took a few moments for Hinata's hysteric cries to quiet down into sobs. Sakura still held her close, waiting for the Hyuuga to be able to speak, rage boiling inside her all the while.
"That fucking baka" Sakura thought bitterly. "The next time I see him, I'm gonna-" Hinata had stopped shaking, but now Sakura's own body was beginning to vibrate with anger. This caused Hinata to look up at her in shock.
"S-Sakura .. why are you shaking?" Hinata's eyes were wide and pale as she looked up at the pink haired ninja. The sight of her tear drenched face almost sent Sakura into a furious rage.
"Did Naruto do this to you." Sakura spoke darkly. She had intended for that to sound like a question, but it came out as a statement. Hinata flinched and tried to bury her face out of view, but Sakura held a firm grasp on her shoulders and lurched her forward. Hinata's eyes flew open, alarmed and scared, as Sakura held her at arms length.
"Tell me." Sakura said sternly, and with what she hoped sounded like added serentity. For a moment, Hinata looked like she wasn't about to speak. But then she opened her mouth -and promptly burst in to tears once more.
"I knew it!" Sakura growled. "Hinata, come with me. We're going to find that bastard and make him apologize -no, PAY for what he did." Sakura gripped Hinata's hand and whipped around, dragging the young Hyuuga with her.
"Let's go."
"B-but Sakura-" Hinata protested, but Sakura grunted a very audible NO. She began to drag Hinata across the field towards a path that lead in to the forest.
"P-PLEASE!" Hinata cried, her eyes crimson with tears. "You don't understand, they were-"
"No, YOU Don't understand" Sakura cried as she whipped around to face Hinata. "I'm sorry to do this to you, but if you ever want Naruto to understand how you feel about him, then you need to face him. NOW".
Hinata's expression froze, and Sakura was sure that her outburst would cause her to start crying again -but then something happened. Something in Hinata's face changed. Hinata's eyes hardened -a very unfamiliar look for her.
"You're right" came her sure-footed reply. "Sakura, you're right. I can't avoid this any longer." Sakura blinked at her, surprised at Hinata's initiative. Before she could say another word, Hinata released herself from Sakura's grip and fled towards the forest path.
"This way," she called over her shoulder. "I know exactly where they are."
"They?" Sakura thought as she broke in to a run, determined to follow the young Hyuuga.
"What does she mean by 'they'?"